Introduction

This dashboard provides summary statistics for the following student types:

  • Magnolia Scholars – These are students who participate in the Magnolia Scholars program, a prerequisite of which is being a first-generation college student.

  • First-Generation (Unaffiliated) Students – For the purpose of this dashboard, these are first-generation college students who do not participate in the Magnolia Scholars program.

  • Not First-Generation Students – These are students who are not first-generation college students (i.e. one or more of their parents graduated from a four-year college).

First-generation status is identified during the application process whereby the students indicate if neither of their parents has earned a bachelor’s degree or greater. Note that only students who enrolled at WFU as first-time, full-time students are included in this dashboard.

Number of Students by Cohort

This table shows the number of students in each incoming cohort by first-generation status.

Student Type 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
Magnolia Scholar 29 29 32 32 30 33 32 33 31 32 32 29 30
First-Generation (Unaffiliated) 113 85 60 60 82 90 68 74 78 85 97 96 119
Not First-Generation 1077 1123 1141 1138 1175 1161 1206 1242 1312 1242 1323 1286 1221

Retention Rates

First-Year Retention

This table shows first-year retention rates. A student is considered to have returned if they were enrolled on the census date (approximately five weeks into the semester) their second fall. Students on continuous enrollment status are not considered retained.

Student Type 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
Magnolia Scholar 97% 97% 100% 100% 97% 100% 100% 100% 100% 97% 94% 100% NA
First-Generation (Unaffiliated) 91% 96% 97% 90% 89% 90% 96% 95% 94% 93% 85% 94% NA
Not First-Generation 93% 94% 93% 93% 93% 95% 94% 95% 94% 95% 94% 94% NA

Four-Year Graduation Rate

This table shows four-year graduation rates for those cohorts who have had an opportunity to graduate within a four-year window.

Student Type 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
Magnolia Scholar 90% 86% 91% 81% 90% 84% 97% 94% 87% NA NA NA NA
First-Generation (Unaffiliated) 81% 81% 90% 77% 83% 73% 75% 78% 77% NA NA NA NA
Not First-Generation 84% 85% 84% 84% 85% 87% 86% 87% 85% NA NA NA NA

Six-Year Graduation Rate

This table shows six-year graduation rates for those cohorts who have had an opportunity to graduate within a six-year window.

Student Type 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
Magnolia Scholar 93% 86% 94% 91% 93% 94% 100% NA NA NA NA NA NA
First-Generation (Unaffiliated) 87% 87% 92% 82% 87% 85% 84% NA NA NA NA NA NA
Not First-Generation 88% 88% 88% 89% 89% 91% 90% NA NA NA NA NA NA

Grade Point Average

This table shows average cumulative GPAs weighted by cumulative hours earned.

Student Type 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
Magnolia Scholar 3.23 3.44 3.28 3.22 3.26 3.42 3.43 3.56 3.40 3.47 3.41 3.05 3.20
First-Generation (Unaffiliated) 3.23 3.33 3.41 3.42 3.38 3.33 3.46 3.43 3.47 3.59 3.40 3.61 3.45
Not First-Generation 3.41 3.46 3.46 3.47 3.51 3.55 3.57 3.60 3.62 3.71 3.70 3.67 3.65

Participation Rates

Please note that the COVID-19 pandemic may have negatively impacted some of the more recent cohorts’ participation rates in the following activities due to limited opportunities in the spring of 2020 through the spring of 2021.

Pre-Orientation Participation

This table shows the percent of students who participated in any WFU pre-orientation program. Pre-Orientation data are only available for the fall 2017 cohort going forward. Pre-orientation programs were held virtually for the 2020 cohort, and they are excluded from this table.

Student Type 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
Magnolia Scholar NA NA NA NA NA NA NA 67% 58% 56% NA 48% 47%
First-Generation (Unaffiliated) NA NA NA NA NA NA NA 22% 21% 14% NA 15% 21%
Not First-Generation NA NA NA NA NA NA NA 26% 29% 24% NA 25% 29%

Greek Participation

This table shows the percent of students who participated in Greek organizations during any semester while they were enrolled. Greek participation data do not include honor fraternities. Note that the majority of students who rush do so in the spring of their first year.

Student Type 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
Magnolia Scholar 21% 31% 12% 41% 23% 15% 12% 27% 23% 19% 12% 10% NA
First-Generation (Unaffiliated) 35% 39% 28% 28% 22% 24% 22% 23% 23% 25% 23% 18% NA
Not First-Generation 57% 59% 58% 52% 53% 55% 55% 52% 51% 54% 60% 57% NA

Student WFU Employment

This table shows the percent of students who were employed by WFU during any semester while they were enrolled. Student employment data include work study participation or any other employment offered by Wake Forest University. Note that the more recent cohorts have had fewer terms during which to work.

Student Type 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
Magnolia Scholar 90% 90% 88% 84% 90% 82% 100% 94% 84% 75% 62% 34% 10%
First-Generation (Unaffiliated) 76% 78% 62% 70% 63% 62% 63% 54% 62% 53% 53% 34% 22%
Not First-Generation 46% 51% 49% 45% 50% 51% 47% 45% 44% 41% 29% 21% 6%

Study Abroad Participation

This table shows the percent of students who have studied abroad during any semester while they were enrolled. Study abroad data include both Wake Forest and non-Wake Forest programs and only reflect semester long programs. Note that most students study abroad during their junior year (typically 5th or 6th semester), and the most recent cohorts have had fewer opportunities to do so.

Student Type 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
Magnolia Scholar 55% 62% 56% 50% 67% 67% 62% 58% 26% 25% 25% 7% NA
First-Generation (Unaffiliated) 40% 26% 35% 32% 44% 44% 43% 45% 22% 15% 26% 6% NA
Not First-Generation 48% 51% 50% 51% 56% 58% 62% 62% 17% 32% 48% 8% NA

Intramural Participation

This table shows the average number of intramural games played per term. Intramural data include all fall and spring terms in which the students are enrolled. Note that intramural data are only available from the fall of 2013 forward.

Student Type 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
Magnolia Scholar NA NA NA 1.3 0.9 0.9 0.3 0.6 0.5 0.3 0.5 0.4 0.5
First-Generation (Unaffiliated) NA NA NA 0.9 0.7 0.8 0.8 0.4 0.4 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.5
Not First-Generation NA NA NA 1.4 1.4 1.3 1.3 0.9 1.2 0.7 0.6 0.9 1.1

Declared Majors & Minors

The tables in this section include all students who have declared majors and minors. The majors and minors counted in the tables are the students’ most recently declared programs.

Majors

This table shows the percent of students who have declared each major by student type. Note that since students can declare up to two majors, some students may appear twice in the table.

Minors

This table shows the percent of students who have declared each minor by student type. Note that since students can declare up to three minors, some students may appear up to three times in the data.

Demographics

Due to small population sizes, the percentages reported below for the Magnolia Scholars and first-generation students (unaffiliated) often vary more widely from year to year than for non-first-generation students.

Gender

This section details the trends in self-reported gender (binary) for the different student types by incoming cohort.

Student Type Gender 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
Magnolia Scholar Female 52% 59% 66% 53% 80% 64% 72% 73% 58% 75% 56% 62% 60%
Male 48% 41% 34% 47% 20% 36% 28% 27% 42% 25% 44% 38% 40%
First-Generation (Unaffiliated) Female 64% 58% 58% 55% 50% 56% 50% 47% 49% 58% 49% 62% 57%
Male 36% 42% 42% 45% 50% 44% 50% 53% 51% 42% 51% 38% 43%
Not First-Generation Female 51% 54% 52% 52% 52% 52% 53% 55% 50% 53% 57% 56% 54%
Male 49% 46% 48% 48% 48% 48% 47% 45% 50% 47% 43% 44% 46%

Race and Ethnicity

This section details the trends in self-reported race and ethnicity for the different student types by incoming cohort. This section reflects race/ethnicity regardless of citizenship status.

Student Type Race/Ethnicity 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
Magnolia Scholar Asian 7% 10% 12% 6% 7% 9% 6% 0% 6% 6% 3% 3% 7%
Black or African American 52% 21% 28% 44% 30% 27% 19% 33% 26% 28% 34% 41% 40%
Hispanic / Latino 14% 31% 22% 25% 40% 36% 44% 30% 42% 34% 50% 41% 30%
Race and Ethnicity Unknown 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 3%
Two or More Races 3% 7% 3% 9% 10% 6% 3% 6% 16% 12% 0% 3% 7%
White 24% 31% 34% 16% 13% 21% 28% 30% 10% 19% 12% 10% 13%
First-Generation (Unaffiliated) American Indian / Alaska Native 1% 0% 0% 2% 0% 1% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%
Asian 7% 12% 13% 13% 30% 13% 18% 27% 10% 28% 18% 29% 27%
Black or African American 17% 16% 18% 5% 13% 18% 16% 16% 19% 20% 25% 14% 16%
Hispanic / Latino 12% 7% 12% 15% 6% 13% 16% 22% 18% 22% 28% 15% 27%
Race and Ethnicity Unknown 0% 0% 0% 0% 1% 1% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 1% 0%
Two or More Races 6% 4% 5% 3% 4% 7% 3% 4% 13% 6% 7% 7% 6%
White 58% 61% 52% 62% 45% 46% 47% 31% 40% 24% 23% 34% 24%
Not First-Generation American Indian / Alaska Native 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%
Asian 6% 6% 9% 7% 12% 13% 11% 10% 12% 10% 11% 11% 9%
Black or African American 4% 6% 6% 5% 5% 5% 6% 6% 4% 4% 4% 3% 4%
Hispanic / Latino 5% 5% 6% 6% 7% 5% 6% 6% 8% 7% 7% 9% 9%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%
Race and Ethnicity Unknown 0% 0% 0% 0% 1% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 2% 3%
Two or More Races 2% 3% 2% 3% 2% 3% 3% 3% 4% 4% 5% 5% 7%
White 82% 81% 78% 78% 73% 74% 74% 74% 72% 75% 72% 70% 68%

Freshman Athlete Status

This section details the trends in freshman athlete status for the different student types by incoming cohort. A student is considered a freshman athlete if they are admitted to WFU on a scholarship as an athlete.

Student Type Status 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
Magnolia Scholar Freshman Athlete 3% 3% 0% 0% 0% 0% 3% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%
Not Freshman Athlete 97% 97% 100% 100% 100% 100% 97% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%
First-Generation (Unaffiliated) Freshman Athlete 10% 12% 10% 7% 16% 19% 16% 16% 19% 15% 15% 16% 8%
Not Freshman Athlete 90% 88% 90% 93% 84% 81% 84% 84% 81% 85% 85% 84% 92%
Not First-Generation Freshman Athlete 8% 7% 9% 10% 8% 8% 7% 8% 7% 6% 7% 6% 7%
Not Freshman Athlete 92% 93% 91% 90% 92% 92% 93% 92% 93% 94% 93% 94% 93%

Region

This section details the trends in the region from which the students come for the different student types by incoming cohort. Geographic regions are defined by the United States Census Bureau. All nonresidents are considered “international” in this section.

Student Type Region 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
Magnolia Scholar Midwest 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 6% 3% 0% 0% 3% 9% 7% 13%
Northeast 7% 21% 6% 3% 7% 0% 6% 3% 10% 0% 19% 25% 17%
South 90% 72% 81% 94% 83% 88% 84% 85% 74% 88% 59% 64% 60%
West 3% 7% 12% 0% 3% 0% 0% 3% 10% 3% 6% 0% 10%
International 0% 0% 0% 3% 7% 6% 6% 9% 6% 6% 6% 4% 0%
First-Generation (Unaffiliated) Midwest 6% 4% 7% 3% 2% 2% 1% 3% 5% 5% 6% 11% 11%
Northeast 14% 20% 15% 22% 18% 12% 15% 18% 10% 11% 17% 14% 24%
South 72% 66% 62% 68% 52% 65% 59% 51% 69% 56% 58% 49% 44%
West 4% 6% 15% 5% 2% 6% 3% 3% 4% 1% 5% 0% 2%
International 4% 4% 2% 2% 25% 15% 22% 26% 12% 27% 14% 26% 19%
Not First-Generation Midwest 8% 9% 7% 7% 7% 7% 6% 6% 6% 8% 7% 8% 12%
Northeast 26% 29% 29% 29% 29% 28% 29% 28% 29% 30% 29% 33% 30%
South 57% 54% 53% 53% 49% 48% 48% 50% 48% 48% 48% 44% 44%
West 6% 7% 6% 6% 6% 7% 6% 7% 6% 6% 8% 6% 6%
International 2% 2% 4% 5% 9% 10% 10% 9% 11% 8% 8% 9% 7%